Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

About the role

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for Legal Assistant work. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Responsibilities

• Using knowledge of a variety of legal regulations, precedents, and practices, examines, prepares and processes technical legal correspondence and documents.
• Conducting factual and legal research in legal and non-legal databases and provide requested information.
• Preparing trial exhibits such as statistical charts, graphs, and timelines to be presented in court.
• Managing paper and electronic documents and evidence, correspondence, briefs, witness interviews, and other documentary materials.
• Arranging travel by preparing itinerary, and securing transportation and hotel reservations.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-6: To be eligible at the GS-6 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience as defined below: Specialized experience is defined as experience reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels for completeness of information; retrieving and assembling information for hearing and/or trial use; researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information; and using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence and related materials. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the GS-05 grade/level in the federal service. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone—no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience as defined below: Specialized experience is defined as experience providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling witness and exhibit lists; and using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the GS-06 grade/level in the federal service. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone—no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)

Benefits

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.